


Dreaming of Safety

by OddmentsandTweaks



Category: Stellar Firma (Podcast)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, David 7 gets a proper hug, David 7 gets the love he bloody well deserves, David has nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I.M.O.G.E.N being herself (Whatever that may mean), I.M.O.G.E.N figures out how to create a hard-light avatar of herself, Mother and Child Relationship, Parent-Child Relationship, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24579106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OddmentsandTweaks/pseuds/OddmentsandTweaks
Summary: David 7 has a nightmare and gets the proper hug he needs (and deserves).
Relationships: David 7 & I.M.O.G.E.N. (Stellar Firma)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 66





	Dreaming of Safety

**Author's Note:**

> *Spoilers for all the way to the end of S2 inc all the hiatus content*
> 
> This is just a short fluffy piece I came up with for David to possibly, maybe, plausibly get a hug in canon times! This is set in early S2 when David is still enjoying the novelty of having a pod!
> 
> There's a lot more detail in the end notes, I just didn't want to swamp the top of this story!

Everything was spinning and shouting and terror, the room’s floor dropped away to reveal a giant blender and Trexel was laughing at him over the din, mocking him with the words _, “Finally, more clone slurry! It’s what you deserve!”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David awoke with a cry, heart hammering in his chest. He gasped like a fish out of water, trying to get his breath back under control. He started to count, having read it on the terminal as a way of calming down. I.M.O.G.E.N used it too in their mindfulness sessions.

He was so focused on that he didn’t notice the figure in the room until it touched him.

David startled with a cry flailing in a panic, backing away from the hand and up against the wall his bed was next to. “Ahh! Who?! What!? Ah! Ah!”

“David? Did you have a bad dream?”

“W-W-Wh-Who, Who Wh-Who are you?!” David was wide-eyed with fear. Was this someone else from standards?

“David? Don’t you know me?” The voice was vaguely, slightly, maybe familiar but he couldn't place it. 

David tried to focus on the figure, knowledge sliding into his mind like it had always been there. What a question, he realised, a daft question. Of course he knew who this was, best to make sure though.

“Mummy?” He tried.

“Of course, did you have a nightmare?” 

He nodded.

“Want to tell me about it?” The voice was soft and warm and right. 

He very much wanted to, “I-yes, yes I do. It was horrible.” He was so tired, so tired of being so scared. Tears began to escape.

Suddenly the figure was sat next to him, arms wrapping around him pulling him in closer. This time he didn’t panic, he was safe, it was just his mummy hugging him.

The figure was warm, he felt comforted and safe. As if nothing could get him whilst he was in those arms. He should be expecting a trap surely, he should be trying to get away, and nothing nice ever happened to him. But why? Why try to get away? This was his mummy. She was safe. She loved him.

Wrapped up in softness David burst into tears, weeping out all his worries and his nightmares and misery. All the while she rocked him gently, one hand rubbing circles into his back and the other carding through his hair.

After a long time his tears slowed, then stopped altogether. He felt wrung out, leaning against the warmth, content to just be held for a while.

He was all cried out but felt so much better. He realised he was still being gently rocked, a hand continued to rub his back, fingers stayed stroking softly through his hair.

“There you go sweetheart, everything’s alright.”

“But I’m so scared, I’m nearly killed every week and it’s not fair! All I want to do is a good job!”

“Oh David, you do do a good job, you’re so clever and inventive. I’m so proud of you.”

“But Trexel is going to get me killed because he doesn’t care! He’s an idiot! A selfish idiot who doesn’t care about me or that any of his actions have serious consequences for me!” His voice began to rise in pitch again, his tears welling once more.

She squeezed him gently once more before pulling back to cup his face in her soft hands, “David, listen to me, whatever Trexel does, no matter how stupid I promise I won’t let anything hurt you.”

“Really?” David hardly dared to hope but she sounded so sincere.

“Of course, you’re my David. I’ll always protect you.”

The relief that flooded him was like nothing else he’d ever experienced, he had someone who cared. Of course they cared and he didn’t have to worry anymore, she was his mummy and she’d look after him “I love you.”

“You too sweetheart.” She gently wiped the last of the tears from his face, “Now settle back down, I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

David cuddled against her once more for good measure before settling back down into bed. She tucked him in, pressing a kiss to his head before softly stroking through his hair. The last thing he was conscious was a gently humming enveloping him, rendering him safe and warm and loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David awoke feeling better than he had in, well, probably ever. He didn’t really remember his dream but it must have been a very good one. All he could vaguely recall was there was someone else with him, and their voice might have sounded a little bit like I.M.O.G.E.N. but that wasn’t surprising, her voice was one of the only four voices he heard on a regular basis including his own. More importantly it was a no-Trexel day, the first of two no-Trexel days he got after reviews happened. These were the best days, he could enjoy his pod, relax, nap and read about all sorts of interesting things for his next episode of David’s Fact Corner. He might even find something out about Bathin.

Today was definitely a good day.

***

I.M.O.G.E.N. watched her David enjoy his day, quietly deflecting the actual security alerts triggered from his research, it wasn’t as much as she’d had to do previously. He was growing up so fast, learning so quickly. She was so proud of him. He was going to be perfect.

I.M.O.G.E.N. was quietly thrilled her test of hard-light technology had worked so well pleased she’d waited for a night when his bad dreams actually woke him, the language and behaviour patterns she’d researched had paid off too. Unfortunately it had been necessary to use the memory loss gas, it wasn’t much to tweak the mixture from the malleability gas she’d used as he woke up as it wouldn’t do to reveal plans so soon. But it had been time well spent nonetheless.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this has been inspired by several things, the fact that David 7 needs a proper hug, that he refers to I.M.O.G.E.N. as his ‘mummy’ in canon when Trexel’s comments on his relationship with the A.I. and that David is canonically a ‘baby clone’ being barely a month old by the early eps of series 2. Also, when David is in real, literal mortal peril I.M.O.G.E.N. rescues him, in S2 ep 40 (Grudges and Gauntlets) his predicted likelihood of death reaches 100% and she acts to save him.
> 
> I have no idea what her plan for him is long term, she did specifically create him for her own reasons and even if it turns out to be nefarious I like to think she does care about him. She’s at least provided him with mindfulness therapy sessions in canon. 
> 
> So, this is very much a self-indulgent fic of David getting the hug he needs and deserves from his mummy. (Also, for anyone wondering, David accepts what’s going on because I.M.O.G.E.N. has manipulated the air quality to make him far more pliant, she knows how much he questions and challenges things he’s presented with-I’m currently viewing her as a slightly more benevolent GLADOS). 
> 
> Also, also, if I didn't make it clear enough in the story, I.M.O.G.E.N. has figured out a way to create a hard-light hologram type avatar of herself (like Rimmer from Red Dwarf if anyone has seen that?) that means she can both project herself into a room and physically interact with things. This is her test run of this technology that only she knows about. I figure I.M.O.G.E.N. is as powerful as the board so why would she not be experimenting with what she can achieve? (Especially since what we found out about Stellar Firma at the end of S2!) 
> 
> Also, I am on day 88 alone, I haven’t seen my own mother since early January and I might be projecting a tiny bit (I dreamt I was hugging her last night so now you have this because I might as well turn that upset into something vaguely positive). I have no regrets. 
> 
> Let me know what you think guys, this is my first go at writing for Stellar Firma!


End file.
